Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

New Orleans or Bust?

Last year I wasn't able to take a trip, much to my dismay. That hadn't been the case in years. This year I made it happen with two of my best friends. We spent five days in New Orleans and we had a fabulous time. If you haven't been there, I encourage you to see this city filled with all sorts of things to do. 

We did a swamp tour and learned more about alligators than we ever expected. Fascinating creatures several of whom we got to see up close. We also saw the area Swamp People is filmed in. We had a snowball. We had beignets. The three of us might be the only people on the planet who were unimpressed. And yes, they were from Cafe Du Monde. We visited the 9th ward and checked out the 9th Ward Living Museum. Talk about a sobering experience. This was it. The information gleaned there made me disappointed to be an American. We have so far to go. Can you believe only one school has been rebuilt since Hurricane Katrina? Unacceptable! 

We visited Jackson Square as well as the French Market. We met local artist too. Check out Frenchy's studio if you can. Music, of course, was everywhere.  We found that we enjoyed our experience better on Frenchmen Street than on Bourbon Street. It was a bit quieter and less touristy. We missed out on seeing a wedding or funeral. We also didn't make it to the McKenna African American Museum. We breezed through the Music Legends Museum. You can sit and have a drink there. 

Being the well round women that we are we tried to balance entertainment and education on this trip. I think we accomplished that. Not only did we learn a ton at the Mardi Gras museum but we also toured the Whitney Plantation. There is a wealth of information there and again we were reminded that America's history is not great and again we left the experience with a sense of heaviness. We also appreciate that God saw fit for none of us to be born during slavery. Oh and the "Big House" wasn't that impressive or big. LOL. 

No trip would be complete without discussing food, especially in New Orleans. We indulged in our fair share of seafood, shrimp and grits, and gumbo. We had hurricanes and a sazerac. We had lunch at one of Emeril's restaurants. The food was good but it wasn't our best meal there. While touring residential areas and looking a huge but beautiful homes in the Market street area, we found a gem of a restaurant called the Superior Grill and oyster house. That meal was simply awesome. Another great dining experience was had at Jacques Imo's. You can find Frenchy's art studio down the street. What we liked better than beignets were the buttermilk drops from the buttermilk drop bakery. Yum! Grilled oysters are good and I certainly don't love raw oysters. We had breakfast at a neighborhood café called Surrey's. It was excellent and they sell New Orleans inspired art right of the walls. Best bananas foster French toast ever and I'm not a huge French toast fan. 

We decided we could probably return to the area and have a completely different experience because there is a ton of things to do and see. It is definitely a great place to people watch. We got in as much as we wanted to. The folks there are extremely hometown proud. I don't think I realized the number of institutions of higher learning that were there. The fleur de lis is everywhere. Not necessarily a symbol to be proud of once you know it's history. 😳. You can eat and drink pretty much any and everywhere. Every place boasts the best creole/gumbo experience. When you visit don't be afraid to go off the beaten path...there are many gems to be found. I'm sure there's no place quite like New Orleans, Louisiana. I gotta go plan my next trip.  Till then.....peace!

 

In Diva Love, 
Pam 😊

Wordless Wednesday-August 3, 2016

 

In Diva Love,

Pam ☺️